Author: booksformks

Picture Book Review: The Sand Elephant

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The Sand Elephant by Rinna Hermann
The Sand Elephant
by Rinna Hermann

4 out of 5 stars
Paul outlines the shape of an elephant in his sand box, and is delighted when his sand elephant comes to life and takes him to the magical Sandcastle Land. There he meets other children and their sand animals, and they all play together in the castle. But a storm blows up and and washes the sand flat, and the children must call to their sand animals to revive them.

I loved this whimsical and imaginative story! It speaks to me so strongly of my childhood playing with imaginary animal friends in a fairy tale castle. Anything can happen in a child’s world of dreams.

The elephant is such a robust and steady character, and I love how he leads Paul through all their adventures. The whole story is just delightful! Continue reading →

Baby Board Book: Five Little Ducks

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Five Little Ducks by Ailie Busby
Five Little Ducks: First Book of Nursery Games
by Ailie Busby (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars
This board book is so adorable! It’s full of sweet rhymes from childhood like “This Little Piggy”, “Hickory Dickory Dock”, and “Polly Put the Kettle On”, but also has new rhymes included. The rhymes all have hand motions or other activities that can be done along with the rhymes. This can help young toddlers to learn to hold up a certain number of fingers as we count down from five, or to move their arms or legs as the rhyme instructs. It’s so cute!

These rhymes go way beyond the simple “Peek-a-boo” style that I always found so boring. These are really interesting and fun! There are ducks, dinosaurs, trains, bunnies, and lions. There is roaring, tickling, hopping, clapping, and flying fingers.

I really appreciated that the bright illustrations show all kinds of children; young babies, older toddlers, disabled children in wheelchairs, children with glasses, African, Asian, Caucasian, and Hispanic children. Plus every kid is so cute! I love the art style in this book. Continue reading →

Children’s Non Fiction Book: Rosa’s Big Boat Experiment

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Rosa's Big Boat Experiment by Jessica Spanyol
Rosa’s Big Boat Experiment
by Jessica Spanyol

5 out of 5 stars
I love how this book puts STEM concepts into simple terms for little readers. The children learn that objects float or sink based on their density. “Everything is made of molecules… They are very, very tiny. The closer the molecules are packed together, the denser the object.” That quote is probably the most technical part of the entire book. The rest of it is mostly simple statements about how a marble will sink, but a ping pong ball will float. A sponge will first absorb the water and then sink.

The children in the book build boats out of objects that can float and they have a boat race. The boats are made out of tin foil, milk cartons, and plastic bowls. The boat with the biggest sails and a hull that is pointed at the front will sail the fastest. Continue reading →

Children’s Non Fiction Book: Caribou

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Caribou by Dorothy & David Aglukark
Caribou
by Dorothy & David Aglukark

5 out of 5 stars
This book contains wonderful information about caribou, their habitat, their migration patterns, and their young. There are two to three paragraphs of information in each section, giving interesting information like how caribou survive against predators and how their antlers grow. There is even a section about how Inuit tribes will use caribou skin or bones to make clothing and utensils.

I love the warm artwork in this book! It really makes it enjoyable to read and see these majestic animals illustrated in their wilderness home. It immediately captured my attention!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.

Children’s Picture Book Review: This is My Daddy!

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This is My Daddy! by Mies van Hout
This is My Daddy!
by Mies van Hout

4 out of 5 stars

Each page of this book shows a young animal who asks the reader, “Who is my Daddy?” There are four choices of adult animals, and the reader has to guess which one is the grown-up version of the little animal. A little tadpole joyfully declares, “This is my Daddy!”, when reunited with his froggy father. A baby rhino frolics with his large rhino Dad, and a baby beaver chomps on some branches with his beaver Dad.

This is such a fun way to get children thinking critically and noticing the details. It also stretches their memory capabilities, and helps them to predict what will come next based on the previous pattern. Plus it’s just fun! Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Wild Week

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Wild Week by Teresa Porcella
Wild Week
by Teresa Porcella

4 out of 5 stars


Each of the animals are doing something different each day. “On Monday, the hen lays an egg… On Tuesday, the shark cuddles a pillow in the living room.” The koala likes to draw, the panda wears a scarf to stay warm, a bird builds a nest, and the skunk combs his hair. They all wait for Sunday when they can play together all day long!

The best thing about this book are the flaps that open up to reveal the animals doing their activities around the house. It’s so much fun to open the flaps and peek into the wild house where these animals are living.

I like the illustrations okay, but I feel like the animals’ eyeballs are staring at me. Their eyes are just so big and bulging. It weirds me out. I do like the colors and the general art style though. I like the design of each scene and some of them are funny and clever, like having a shark chilling on a chair in the living room. How does a shark SIT in a chair? It’s silly and hilarious! Continue reading →

Board Book Review: Mummy, What’s in Your Tummy?

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Mummy, What's in Your Tummy? by Bernardita Romero
Mummy, What’s in Your Tummy?
by Bernardita Romero

5 out of 5 stars

This board board is so sweet and adorable! A child wonders what could be growing inside their mother’s tummy for 9 months. Is it a watermelon, a bunny rabbit, or a penguin? Is it a lion or crocodile, an elephant or a mouse?

The rhyming text is well-written and has a nice flow to it. The illustrations are bright, and I like the clarity of the artwork. I can’t stand when picture book are cluttered with too much stuff on each page, but this book is wonderfully clear and clean, putting the focus on the main characters that matter.

I love the heart-felt and emotional storyline, all about family connections and building relationships. Even before the baby sister is born, she can hear her older sibling singing to her and reacts by moving in the womb. “It dances and wiggles when I sing. It must be a very special thing.”
I love that this book shows a relationship already being established with the unborn child. So sweet!
Continue reading →

Board Book Review: The Wolf and the Fly

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The Wolf and the Fly by Antje Damm
The Wolf and the Fly
by Antje Damm

5 out of 5 stars

This board book is adorable! A hungry wolf eats up some of his toys and animals because he is so hungry. But the reader has to guess what he has eaten based on what toy or animal is missing from the page. As he gobbles up each item, the reader has to search the page to see what is missing from the previous page.

This is such a fun way to get children thinking critically and noticing the details. It also stretches their memory capabilities, and helps them to predict what will come next based on the previous pattern. Plus it’s just fun!

I loved the cartoony illustrations and the funny wolf character. He’s such a cute little guy!

Continue reading →